Encouraging Innovation at the HUG

Context

The HUG Innovation Day was started in 2007 as an occasion to learn about the projects created by HUG and UNIGE associates and to form a bridge between the hospital world and the financial world. Each year they award an Innovation Prize, trophies to recognize two other projects, and a “Jury’s Choice” Prize. The Scientific Innovation Committee, led by Professor Karl-Heinz Krause, is tasked with selecting the laureates. A jury of about fifteen members – including outside partners, specialists in medical innovation, and representatives of the healthcare staff – determines the finalists. The decision of the winning projects is based on precise criteria, with consideration also given to the benefit for patients and for the institution.

Project

At the 11th year of the event, in 2017, the Private Foundation of the HUG participated for the 4th time by funding three of the prizes, including the famous Innovation Prize. Nineteen projects were presented. The 2017 Innovation Prize was awarded to the project led by Professor Jean-Charles Sanchez and Ms. Linnéa Lagerstedt from the UNIGE Department of Human Protein Sciences. Their project intends to develop a marker capable of determining if a CT scan would be useful or not for a person who has had a head trauma. Clear financial aspects are involved, since in practice, 90% of CT scans are negative and lead to unnecessary waiting in the emergency department.

The best scientific poster, also awarded a prize from the Private Foundation of the HUG, was on x-Motion, developed by Dr. Ferran Galán and Dr. Tomislav Milekovic. The project is an interface for paraplegic individuals that uses facial movements to interact with a computer.

Finally, the Jury’s Choice Prize from the Private Foundation of the HUG went to the project for a “wall mount for gloves, masks, disposable scrub tops, and hand and surface disinfectants” as conceived by Ms. Doris Abbyad Conne and Maryline Vionnet. This new storage doesn’t get in the way, is more reliable than carts, is hygienic, ergonomic, and economical, and is perfectly adapted to care units’ needs. A prototype was produced in collaboration with a Swiss company and 300 of these custom mounts were installed in the Gustave Juillard and Bellerive hospital buildings.

Où en sommes-nous ?

The 19th HUG Innovation Day, held on October 16, 2025, at the Gustave-Julliard building, brought together sixteen projects led by HUG and UNIGE staff members, selected for their creativity, scientific rigor, and potential impact on patients. The event, structured around pitch sessions and poster presentations, took place before a jury composed of experts and patient partners, as well as approximately 250 participants voting for the Audience Award.

The major “Propulsable Product” prize was awarded to Flow Twin, a 3D cerebral vessel modeling platform designed for training in neurointervention. In the Prototype category, the super-ultra-low-dose pediatric chest scanner and the SOVD self-awareness test were recognized for their promising clinical advances. The Proof-of-Concept VIDÉPÉ award distinguished an open-source platform for the presurgical evaluation of epilepsy.

Two cross-category prizes were granted to POSICS, a wireless gamma camera combined with augmented reality, and LaxiPed, a biomechanical device assessing foot instability. Beyond the awards ceremony, the event serves as an institutional driver, fostering the support, protection, and implementation of innovations.